Healthy and Quick - How Can You Go Wrong?
Written: Dec 02 '05 (Updated Mar 18 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good eating and healthful, quick to prepare as well
Cons: Convenience adds cost to the meals
The Bottom Line: I believe Dr. Arthur Agatston has the answer to the American weight problem. This cook book makes it easy for the busy Americans of today to utilize that answer.
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| gamblin_man's Full Review: Arthur S. Agatston M.D. - The South Beach Diet Qui... |
As those who follow my writings on Epinions are aware, I am on (and sometimes off) the South Beach Diet. Like many of us, the time available for long preparation and cooking of gourmet meals is nearly non-existent. That is why I was thrilled when I saw The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook on the shelf of my local Wal-Mart. I dropped it in the cart without even scanning it first. I have not been disappointed.
The Layout Of the Book
This new cookbook from the pen of Arthur Agatston follows pretty closely the layout of his first cookbook. The 338 pages start with an introduction and a brief overview of the diet. The first 52 pages are a fairly comprehensive review of the ingredients used in the book, why they are good for us, and where to find and how to store them. Many have references to later recipes they are used in. I’ll try to shed a little more light on this part later in the review. The recipes consume the next several hundred pages. They are arranged more or less by meal, starting with breakfast and ending with desserts. Yes. Desserts are included. Unfortunately most are marked for Phase III of the diet.
Each recipe has a clear note at the left as to what diet phase it is made for. For those recipes that have 15 minute, rather than 30 minute preparation time, there is also a symbol. Many of the recipes use prepared ingredients (read more expensive) to save time. A few of the recipes take more than 30 minutes and are included because the author finds them well worth the few extra minutes of preparation time. The author also promises no more than ten ingredients per recipe.
In general these recipes are easy to execute. Some have ingredients you might have to search for, but most use items available in most markets.
What Is In the Book
This book embraces the principles of good fats, good carbohydrates, and balanced meals for a good mix of vitamins, minerals, and other essential and helpful micro-foodstuffs. Each recipe has the number and size of servings listed as well as the main elements of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and sodium. Carbohydrates include fiber which is also listed.
But, before beginning the recipe section, Dr. Agatston and his associates give lots of helpful information in the first section. They begin with their view of the reason that Western people are facing a crisis of overweight and the associated diseases this causes. They start with the genetic mechanisms that served our hunter/gatherer ancestors well and serve us less well. They jump to what they call some bad science of the fifties that formed the basis of a national weight gain in America. They suggest, of course, that the South Beach diet will reverse this trend.
The book then moves to a 34 page glossary of the ingredients used in the 200 recipes presented. Each item has several lines of text information about its value, its uses, and where it may be found. This list is alphabetical and many of the ingredients have references to recipes that they are used in. I find this section to be one of the most interesting parts of this book.
Following this is a short section of quick meal or snack ideas that don’t require a recipe. One of these we like is to make a bean mash using a can of great northern beans mixed with 2 tablespoons of pesto. It makes a nice dip or can be turned into soup by adding chicken stock. Throughout the book are informative boxes like the one in this section on quick and healthy ways to prepare vegetables. The introductory material ends with a good section on food safety.
The Recipes
Each recipe is clearly explained as to what makes it good, what phase of the diet it is intended for, how it is prepared (simple preparation in most cases), what the servings are and its nutritional values. Many of the recipes are illustrated in full color. A quick recipe has a clock symbol designating it as such in the side bar.
Breakfast
There are several Phase I recipes in this section as well as a few Phase III recipes. Most are Phase II. One we were surprised to like is a healthy replacement for corned beef hash. It uses turkey instead of corned beef and turnips replace the potatoes. It isn’t bad.
Soups and Snacks
One of our favorite sections contains some easy to make soup and a handful of flavorful snacks, all quick to prepare. The soups use store-bought stock as their base to cut preparation time. They, of course, suggest low-fat, low sodium varieties. The Mexican Chicken Soup in this section is listed as a Phase I dish. We have served it to friends who never knew they were eating diet food.
Salads
Here again, they cut the time to prepare by using packaged salad greens and they use low fat, low sodium condiments. We like the Feta, Cucumber, and Radish salad which is a Phase I dish that friends think is gourmet cooking. Preparation time is 15 minutes.
Fish and Shellfish
In this section is the beginning of main courses. The principles of the book are preserved here. You might want to try Sardines with Lemon and Hot Sauce. It is surprisingly different than eating a can of sardines.
Poultry
What can we say? The recipes are thoughtful and exciting in this section of good proteins. How about Peanut Chicken with Noodles? Yes, noodles and this a Phase II recipe. It won’t meet the requirements of the Atkins diet but for South Beach Eaters some pasta is allowed.
Beef, Pork, and Lamb
Moving on to the lowest quality (more bad fats) meat in the South Beach Diet, we come to where I love to browse – and graze. Mustard Crusted Steak is one of the simple favorites here and in only 30 minutes. Beef and Bean Chili is another one we like.
Vegetarian Entrees
Just as the name suggests there are both main course and side dishes in this section sans meat. Tempeh Tacos are fun and a nice change. Phase II legal and 22 minutes total from start to eat.
Sides
Try the Stuffed baked Tomatoes as an addition to your meal from this section.
Desserts
There are 11 Phase II desserts listed. The rest are Phase III. Sorry Phase I participants, none for you, but you will have something to look forward to when your 2 weeks is up.
Finally the index does a good job of getting you to where you want to be quickly.
Conclusion
As does Dr. Agatston, I believe that the word diet conveys to many some action that is temporary and causes deprivation. As he uses the term, it is just a way of eating. His diet is not one of deprivation or unbalanced foods. With this cook book, even the most harried of us can eat healthy and well, and have fun getting to the state we all wish we could be in.
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My Review References
The South Beach Diet
South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet Good Fats, Good Carbs Guide
Carbohydrates
Good Carbs, Bad Carbs
The New Glucose Revolution
Fats
Good Fat vs. Bad Fat
Recommended:
Yes
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gamblin_man
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Member: Larry
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